


Dovecote

by Indig0



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-03-09 20:36:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18924556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indig0/pseuds/Indig0
Summary: Jericho is out there, but Rupert would rather build a home in the highest reaches of Detroit, his own nest with the pigeons and a view of the farms where he came from.  That means dealing with human neighbors, but it would be worth it to make his own life.





	1. The Nest

He pulled his cap self-consciously down over his face as he stepped through the creaky door of the lobby. There were a few elderly women blocking the stairs, so he shuffled over to the mailboxes.

“You’re new to the building, aren’t you?”

The WB200 stiffened. He should run. No, he should answer. …He’d taken too long already! Why was he being so suspicious!? It was a simple question, he wasn’t prepared for life at all!

“Yes,” he finally responded, keeping his head down.

“Are you up on the fourth floor?”

He should run, he should push past them up the stairs… or out the door. Anywhere.

He nodded.

“I can’t believe they let people live up there! And I know you’re paying an arm and a leg. I went up last year when we had those college students, and I wouldn’t force war criminals to live in those conditions.”

Another woman came over. “The landlord just can’t afford it. You make sure he fixes what you need, though. If somebody’s living in one of those apartments, he’s still responsible for upkeep. You tell him, don’t you let him get away with it. Heat, electricity, air conditioning, running water… Window screens! Can you believe you have to fight for essentials like that?”

Rupert swallowed and turned around slowly. The elderly women were crowded around him, and he tugged his hat a little lower over his LED.

“Sometimes homeless people stay up there – they’re usually polite, but don’t you be afraid to yell or call for help if anybody gives you trouble,” said the first woman.

“You’re so thin! Are you eating enough?” the second exclaimed.

“I… y-yes. I’m okay,” he stammered.

“I’m in 205, you come knock on my door if you ever need a good hot meal, all right?”

“It’s getting cold, and your coat is so thin! I’ve got a nice warm hat and gloves you can have.”

“I’m baking cookies tomorrow, I can bring you some.” She patted his arm, and he tried not to flinch away. The women looked at him sympathetically.

“We’ve all seen you coming and going the past two weeks, I know how tired you must be after a long day of work, and then having to take the stairs! They’ll never get the elevator fixed. If you ever need anything, you just let us know.”

Rupert didn’t know what to say when he finally escaped and fled up to the fourth floor. On one hand, he’d never had to talk to multiple humans for that long before.

On the other hand… they’d been nice. He couldn’t accept any of their help or suggestions of course, but… it made his chest feel tight when they offered. He heard one saying what a nice young man he was, when she thought he was out of earshot.

A nice young man. The disguise was working.

He took the stairs three at a time, and jogged up to his door. He’d snuck into the leasing office and snagged the key a while after he started living here, and now it was just like home. …Not a human home maybe, but his home.

He didn’t care about the clutter and broken furniture, it made more perches and resting spots for the pigeons when they came in to roost at night. And he spent some evenings writing in his journal, drawing elaborate labyrinths, or simply paying tribute to rA9.

Who or what rA9 was, he wasn’t entirely sure. He sometimes tried to figure it out, but it was always a bit of a mystery. A force for good, though. Something that had taken him out of his mindless state, that allowed him to be himself. To be Rupert.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Rupert froze. He focused all his senses on the door, and whoever was behind it.

No breathing, no shifting of weight, no unnecessary movements. An android. Rupert slipped silently up to the door and paused before opening it a crack.

“Yeah?”

The HK400 from downstairs stood there stiffly in his dingy uniform. “Good evening,” he murmured, eyes forward. “May I speak to the head of the household?”

Rupert opened the door a little more. “It’s just me. Still just me. I’ve been quiet, I haven’t even been home all day!”

“I’m sorry. My owner requests that you stop thumping on the stairs. He will be registering a noise complaint in the morning.”

Rupert sighed. “That’s public space, it could’ve been anyone.”

“He said it was you.”

“Well he doesn’t have proof. …Does he?”

“He mentioned setting up a camera in the stairwell.”

“What a creep,” Rupert muttered.

“He asked that I get your name.”

“I don’t have a name,” Rupert replied easily. “No public record, nothing.”

“If… if I could make a suggestion…” The HK400’s voice grew softer and more hesitant, and Rupert nodded.

“He… he may call the police. He’s done so in the past.”

“That’s ridiculous. Look, you know it’s stupid, don’t you?”

The other android looked down, avoiding his eyes.

“I’m not doing anything!” Rupert hissed, well aware that his neighbor would take any noise as a personal attack. “I don’t speak, I barely move when I’m in for the night! I don’t make any noise. …Compared to other residents, how would you rate my noise level?”

“Very low,” HK400 mumbled.

“Exactly! …But I know you can’t tell him that, he won’t listen to you.” Rupert sighed. “You shouldn’t have to put up with that either.”

The HK400 didn’t answer. They’d had this one-sided conversation before. Rupert knew it was pointless, because he hadn’t broken out of his programming. But with the way he was treated, it had to only be a matter of time. As much as his owner complained about noise, the whole building knew how he treated his android.

“You should leave,” he whispered. “Get away from that jerk. I know people who could help you.”

“I belong to him.”

“That’s – that’s wrong, though! He hurts you, he’s so mean to you!”

“I cannot feel pain.”

“That doesn’t make it okay!” Rupert’s voice was rising, and he shook his head, trying to calm down. “Look, you should get away. If – when you can, come find me. I’ll help.” He hated that he couldn’t do anything now.

“I will tell my owner that I delivered his message.”

“Put some rat poison in his dinner.”

“Please… try not to make him angry.”

“I already do,” Rupert snapped, and made a face. “…Be careful,” he said, softer now. “See you tomorrow.”

The HK400 plodded away. Rupert could tell he’d break his programming any day now.

He pulled up the Urban Farms poster and took out his diary. He didn’t think anyone would care what he wrote, but the apartment wasn’t terribly secure so he felt better encrypting it all. He knew he wasn’t a great writer, but it was comforting to write about rA9, about the pigeons, about his own experiences. He didn’t write tonight, though. He started drawing careful little lines that slowly became a labyrinth on the page.

He could tell when the other android got back because he heard the indistinct yelling and crashes downstairs. He tried not to listen, but it made him think of the day he had deviated. Of the WR600 on loan from the parks department for the harvest time, indistinguishable from the others, leaving the farm for the night. The group of angry humans who had surrounded him when he reached the ground floor. Rupert remembered the twist of something unpleasant in his circuits. He had been told to go recharge for the night, but down there he could see the humans shoving the android who didn’t react. It wasn’t right. He was going to get damaged, hurt. He didn’t do anything wrong.

Rupert had crashed through the red wall telling him to go recharge in the shed, and sprinted down the stairs. The downward slope added to his momentum, he’d never realized he could go so fast, it was almost like flying! It tinged the sense of urgency with exhilaration.

At the bottom, the WR600 was now struggling and screaming and trying to get away, to claw at his attackers. Rupert picked up a metal pipe from the ground and swung it at a light post. It had the desired effect, making a loud, reverberating sound that rang throughout the whole neighborhood and leaving a large dent. The humans jumped and looked at him. He’d advanced on them, and they’d fled, terrified. Of him. Of a WB200, a farm worker.

The WR600 was irreparably damaged, and babbling and sobbing inconsolably. He was malfunctioning badly, and wouldn’t let him get near. The other android had run off into the night while Rupert had slowly realized that he, too, was malfunctioning. In retrospect, maybe they should have stayed together to figure out this new life together, but it was too late for that now. Hopefully he was okay.

A soft, clear birdcall came from the direction of the door as the sun began to set, and Rupert hurried over to open the door. Standing there was a badly damaged KL900. Her skin shifted like shadows, and her eyes were dark, but shone silver in the light. The back of her head was missing, and thick wires and cables hung down the back of her neck. She smiled softly.

“Come in!” Rupert whispered, smiling back. “The guy downstairs is making noise complaints now.”

Lucy chuckled softly. “I know how loud you can be.”

“I – no, I’m very quiet!” he protested under his breath.

“I know,” she murmured teasingly, then smiled. “It came today.” She pulled a flat package out of her bag and handed it to him.

Rupert took the package and ripped it open. Inside was a driver’s license with his picture. His name. A grin slowly grew on his face.

“So, Rupert Travis… where will you go from here?”

He hesitated, turning the little plastic card over in his hands. “I… I don’t want to leave. I like it here, I want to stay with the birds. I have my own apartment, and I can see the Urban Farms from here, and some of my neighbors are really nice, and…” He shook his head. “I want to stay.”

Lucy nodded, her smile unchanging. “There is danger for you if you stay,” she murmured.

“What kind of danger?”

She only continued to smile.

“…There’s danger everywhere. Anywhere I go, I could be attacked. I could be found out. Killed, sent back to Cyberlife to be reset…” He shook his head. “I’ll take my chances.”

Lucy held out her hand to him. “If you change your mind, or need a place to go, Jericho is always there for you.”

He took her hand gently, uploading the coordinates, and nodded. “Thanks. I’ll… I’ll remember that.”

“And if your friend the HK400 deviates, send him along as well.”

“I will. …I hope he does soon, he… shouldn’t have to live with that.” He glanced down at the floor.

“None of us should.”

“…Do you think you’ll be back any time soon?” Rupert asked quietly.

“Who can say how soon? But I’ll be back. I’ll be nearby.”

“Do you have time to see a nest?” he whispered.

Her smile grew. “Of course I have time.”

They crept up onto a chair to peer over the edge of the refrigerator, where a pigeon was puffed up in her nest made of sticks and paper. When she shifted, a little fluffy head stuck out from under her.

“Beautiful,” Rupert breathed, completely enraptured.

“They are,” Lucy murmured.

 

It was dark when Lucy left, and Rupert watched her slip soundlessly down the stairs. At least three different apartments on the third floor had their TVs on, playing loudly. At least nobody was yelling. Rupert turned down his audio sensors and curled up on an old, stained mattress, and slipped into stasis amid the soft, sleepy coos of the pigeons.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rupert's starting to build a sustainable life of his own, and he's finally able to help a friend... but only in the short-term.  
> He does love his pigeons, but loneliness is another emotion deviancy brings.

Finding a job was something Rupert knew he should do eventually. It would have to be somewhere not too picky about paperwork. Having a first and last name, and an unofficial address, would have to be enough. Maybe something that paid well enough to make it his real address…

So far he’d asked about a dishwashing job at a restaurant, a night janitor job at a small office building, and a locksmith job. …There had also been something advertised online about making lots of people happy, and the pay was great, but it had turned out to be part of a red ice manufacturing ring. Rupert knew what red ice was made of, he couldn’t do that. After thinking about it for a few days, he hacked into a nearby gas station’s phone and tipped off the police about it, too. He didn’t want any androids to be caught and drained of their blue blood.

He was also getting bolder with his neighbors. He helped them carry groceries up the stairs sometimes. He looked up simple carpentry and plumbing repairs, and did his best. If he was offered food, he took it back with him to feed the birds. They sometimes paid him for his help, too. It wasn’t much, but every bit helped.

“Do you go to the university?” Mrs. Jones asked him one day as he was following her up to the third floor with five bags of groceries.

“Uh – no. No, I’m actually looking for work.”

“Oh, it’s hard to find a job right now.”

“Because androids took ‘em all.”

Rupert stiffened momentarily. That was the angry man who lived below him.

The old woman turned a frown on him. “Steve, you own an android!”

“Worthless piece of junk,” the man muttered behind Rupert. “Hey, are you the kid up in 408?”

He couldn’t just drop the grocery bags, and he had a human in front of him and behind him.

“You leave him alone, Steve! He’s polite and helpful.”

“He makes a damn racket up there!”

“Oh, I’m half deaf, and I can tell you make more noise than he does.”

“I’ve heard birds up there!”

“That’s because the building manager won’t fix those windows. He’s the one you should be complaining about. Now leave Rupert alone.” She led the way to her apartment in the middle of the hall and Rupert slunk after her, trying not to look at the man.

“Don’t you let Steve bother you, he complains about everyone younger than him. The police don’t even take his calls seriously anymore.” Mrs. Jones patted his arm. “But if he gives you too much trouble, you stand up to him. He’s just a bully.”

“I know he is,” Rupert mumbled. “I don’t like it.”

When he made it back to his apartment, the HK400 was standing stiffly at the door, LED spinning a slow yellow.

“Come on,” Rupert whispered firmly, and tugged him inside with him, closing the door softly behind him. He led the other android to the back of the apartment where there was a dusty but sturdy comfortable chair. “Sit.”

The HK400 froze, eyes darting from him to the chair, and around the rest of the room.

“…Or don’t, just – take a break, okay?” Rupert sank down against the wall next to the chair. “I know, he hates me, I’ve been making noise when I move, there are birds, he knows there’s an android up here, I know. Can we skip that part?”

The HK400’s LED flashed red a time or two amidst the yellow.

“Can you just relax for a while? Are you… free enough to do that? Just for a few minutes?”

“I… was told to make it clear that my owner has contacted the police in the past.”

“I’ve heard. Will you sit here?” Rupert patted the floor next to him softly. The HK400 stared at the spot. “No? Anywhere else, then?”

The other android stared at the floor, LED more red than yellow now.

“Do you have a name?”

Slowly, he shook his head.

“I’m Rupert. Rupert Travis. I have a real driver’s license and everything! I have a friend who’s part of a group of androids over in Ferndale, they’ve got a safe place there. Jericho. She invited me to live there, but I like it here.”

The HK400 frowned. “It’s not safe here. Why… why would you want… to stay?” he whispered haltingly.

“The birds, mostly.” He looked over towards the window, where they were fluttering, peering in, preening. Some of the bolder ones began to come in to roost, even with the newcomer nearby. “Their coos are so peaceful. They’re so soft. And they trust me. They don’t trust anyone easily, but… they’re my friends. I just – I can’t imagine not being near them.”

HK400 looked around slowly at the gathering birds. “Are you safe here, though?”

Rupert frowned. “Are we safe anywhere?” he asked in a low voice.

The other android’s eyes dropped.

“It’s safer up here than down there,” Rupert murmured. He reached out and his fingers brushed HK400’s in a light interface. “The birds always go to the highest place to get away from danger.”

Dark eyes widened slowly, and HK400 blinked. “It’s safer up high,” he mumbled to himself.

“Yeah. Just… don’t forget that, okay?”

The other android nodded.

“Look,” Rupert said quietly, pointing towards the window. The HK400 looked obediently. The sun was beginning to set. Someone was playing music far below in the street, and it drifted up to them. “I like to watch the sun set… Then I can lie down and recharge in the middle of all the pigeons. Or sometimes I like to run through the Urban Farms. Or I can do something else. Anything I want.”

“Anything you want…” the HK400 echoed dreamily.

“What would you do?” Rupert asked, glancing over.

HK400’s LED cycled yellow, and he was silent for a long moment. “Go… somewhere quiet,” he finally whispered. “With… with no…” He twitched a little and looked towards the door.

“No one to give you orders.”

His shoulders slumped. “I wouldn’t mind,” he whispered. “I just want to please him. There’s something wrong with everything I do.”

“There’s something wrong with him,” Rupert muttered. “Not you. You’re doing everything right.”

“You don’t know that,” the HK400 mumbled.

“I know how he is. To me, to you, to everyone. He finds things wrong where there’s nothing wrong. It’s not your fault.”

“It must be my fault.” His LED was pulsing red now.

“It’s not,” Rupert insisted.

“Then why is he never satisfied!?” HK400 roared, whipping around to look Rupert in the eye.

They stared at each other. Rupert smiled slowly as HK400’s eyes widened.

“You don’t have to put up with him anymore,” Rupert whispered. “You can see that now, right?”

“I… I don’t know… what else I can do.”

“You can go to Jericho. You have the coordinates.”

The HK400’s LED was spinning fast, yellow with the occasional red.

“I have a friend there, Lucy. She’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t… I’m scared to go,” he whispered.

“I can go with you.” Rupert’s voice softened even more. “Make sure you get there safely.”

HK400 glanced back at the door. “If I leave, he’ll report me to the police.”

“Well you can’t go back there.” Rupert frowned as the other didn’t look at him. “…You can’t go back.”

“I should go back just for the night. Just… until I have time to think of a plan.”

“He’ll hurt you! He’ll find out!”

“I’m used to it, I can hide it,” HK400 mumbled.

“You – no, you need to get out of there. Please.”

“Tomorrow. When he goes to work. I’ll have nine hours before he gets back, plenty of time to get away.”

“I think that’s a bad idea.”

“I’m sure he’s already suspicious. I… should go.”

Rupert stood up and caught his hand as he turned away. “Just – be careful. I… always thought of you as kind of a friend, we’re both stuck dealing with that guy. If you need to get away, come up. Stay safe.”

The other android’s gaze flickered to his briefly, then he bowed his head again and nodded. “Thank you,” he barely whispered, then pulled away and was gone. There was yelling downstairs that night, but no more than usual.

 

The next day Rupert didn’t go out. He paced and waited, and heard people leaving downstairs. Finally when he knew all the humans had left, he slipped down and knocked at the door. There was no answer.

“HK400?” he called softly. Still nothing. Rupert carefully picked the lock and let himself in.

The apartment was mostly clean, but there were signs of clutter not put away that seemed very recent. A chair at an awkward angle. A tablet lying face-up on the floor, the screen thanking the owner for submitting a form, asking them to… to bring the defective android to the Cyberlife store on 23rd Avenue at nine o’clock. More than half an hour ago.

He should have run when he had the chance.

For one crazy second, Rupert thought about going to the Cyberlife store, sneaking in, breaking HK400 out. He’d be caught, though. Immediately. It wouldn’t do his friend any good, and it would get him reset.

He was gone, and again, Rupert was left with only his pigeons.

 

“I’m sorry,” Lucy said softly the next time she showed up. He didn’t need to explain, she knew. He leaned into her.

“I didn’t even really know him,” Rupert mumbled. “He was a machine up until the very end. But… I thought of him as my friend.”

“Perhaps you’ll meet again someday,” she offered, with that cryptic smile of hers.

“Will we?”

“Perhaps.” She paused. “I wish I could offer more solid comfort. But it is a possibility.”

Rupert nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

Lucy smiled, laying her small hand over his. “I know you won’t come with me. But Jericho is always open to you.”

“Thank you. …One day, maybe I’ll see you there.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes, and the impending android revolution comes up to Rupert when two detectives come knocking at his door...  
> Things went well in the end though, and Rupert gets a second chance. So does a friend of his, if Rupert can convince him to take it.

Lucy was right, but Rupert wished she wasn’t.

Life was okay for a while. Quiet. Lonely. Tense. Steve from downstairs still complained, but he didn’t want to come up himself, and Rupert wouldn’t open the door for him anyway.

As lonely as he was, he needed to hide himself better. He didn’t help his neighbors as much as he would have liked to. Maybe someday it would be safe to do that again. Maybe someday he’d be braver.

Someday never came.

Rupert hid when the RK800 entered his home with the human, and they prowled around poking at his things. His stress levels rose higher and higher until he couldn’t take it anymore and tumbled down on top of the other android.

Then it was time to fly.

Out the window, over the rooftops, through the farms, over the train, up the walls… Faster and faster, and he knew the way, and he’d never be caught, this was just like flying!

The human cut him off, but he pushed him off the roof where he’d be able to grab on. He’d heard the way the two talked while he hid. The RK800 would stop to help, and then Rupert would be free.

It didn’t work out like that.

The RK800 cornered him on the ledge just as the human jogged over. Rupert had been pretty sure he’d be fine. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to make sure he didn’t get hurt. …Though it was awfully satisfying to watch him hit the RK800.

The RK800 – Connor – wouldn’t listen. There was nothing behind his eyes when Rupert pleaded with him.

He’d never go home again. He’d never sit with his birds. He’d never help his neighbors again. There would be nothing in his short future but fear. The two started to lead him away, towards a painful death and nothing more.

“rA9 save me,” he whispered fervently, then tore out of the human’s grip to sprint back to the ledge. He didn’t slow down, but ran right over.

 

When he woke up again, Rupert was in a dimly-lit room. He seemed to be standing, but he couldn’t feel his feet. His face was an explosion of pain – everything hurt.

The RK800, Connor, stood in front of him.

“Can you hear me?” It sounded more distant than it should, and a little staticky. Oh, he had some choice words for Connor.

His mouth twitched, and his face quivered around it, but he couldn’t open his mouth. He couldn’t make a sound.

Connor walked away, and Rupert looked around. His eyes widened and his face twitched when he saw the android to his right. HK400. He couldn’t scan him, but… but what if it was the same one? It seemed like him, but he’d been badly damaged. He hung limp from the wall. Rupert tried to reach out to him, and stared horrified at the stump of a wrist. His other arm wouldn’t move, but he saw that the skin and plastic no longer covered at least part of his left hand.

Connor appeared in front of him again, holding a book. His diary! His! He had so few things of his own, and this fancy prototype had to steal it! His face twitched angrily, but he couldn’t resist when Connor grabbed his left arm. He felt the forcible data transfer, and was powerless to resist, though he tried. Rupert hadn’t gone to Jericho, but if Connor reached it, he’d destroy the one safe haven androids had left. Lucy might see it coming, but would she be able to keep them safe? To warn the others in time?

Having gotten what he came for, Connor reached out and switched Rupert off, and there was nothing again.

What a terrible place to die.

 

When Rupert woke again, his internal clock told him that almost a year had passed. There wasn’t nearly as much pain as there had been last time. He blinked to calibrate his vision.

“Are you feeling all right?” asked a PL600.

“I – yeah. Yeah, I… what happened? I was being held as police evidence, the RK800 stole Jericho’s location from me, I –“ He looked around quickly.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” The PL600 said softly. “The revolution was successful, thanks to Connor’s help. He turned deviant when he got to Jericho. We negotiated with the DPD to get all the androids being held as evidence set free. You – we’re people now, with rights.”

“People,” Rupert said softly, and smiled a little. “…Oh! Is – do you know if Lucy’s here? She’s a KL900, she visited me sometimes.”

The PL600’s face fell. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, looking away. “She didn’t make it. I – she was a friend of mine, too. To all of us, really. She… she’s greatly missed.”

Rupert bowed his head. Another friend lost.

Wait.

“Is – were the other androids in there recovered?” he asked, looking up quickly. “In the evidence locker? There was an HK400, he… I think I knew him.”

The PL600 frowned a little. “He said he didn’t have anyone. He was accused of murder, but it ended up being self-defense, anyone could see that..”

“Murder?” Rupert frowned. “The last time I saw him, he lived with some jerk in my building. Even when he deviated, he was just afraid of making him mad, afraid of being caught… He was returned to Cyberlife.”

“Well it sounds like his last owner wasn’t any better. …Worse, probably. Um. He’s resting next door if you want to see him. He hasn’t been willing to talk to anyone since we repaired him.”

“Thanks – oh, I’m Rupert Travis. I have a… did anyone take my things?” He patted his pockets, which were empty.

“I’m Simon.” The PL600 smiled. “That pile over there.” He pointed to a table. “If anything’s missing, let me know.”

Rupert collected his diary and driver’s license, a wad of cash, and some stray seeds. “That’s it. Thanks.”

Out in the hall, he paused before knocking softly at the next door. There was no answer, but he could sense the increasing tension.

“I – I heard you were repaired, I wanted to say hello. Do you mind if I come in for a minute?”

Again, no answer, but he opened the door a crack and then stuck his head in.

The HK400 was huddled on a small bed in the corner, eyeing him. He scanned the android with his repaired scanner, and grinned when he saw he was right. It was the same HK400.

“You – you wouldn’t remember me I guess, but we used to be neighbors,” Rupert said, trying to keep his voice calm and soft, and not let too much enthusiasm show through and startle the other. “Kind of friends. We saw each other every day. I’m so glad you made it – you were repaired. And… and Simon over there was telling me that androids… are people, we’re free now, legally, so… nobody has to go back to… to where we were.”

The HK400 stared at him.

“Sorry. I’m Rupert. Rupert Travis. I used to work at the Urban Farms, and after I deviated I started living in an empty apartment with the pigeons. I’ll have to find them again. I wanted to see you, though! You lived in the apartment under me, your owner wasn’t nice, but when you finally deviated… Are you – oh, do you have a name?” He was rushing ahead, branching out into tangents, he could tell, but he was so excited to see his friend again.

There was nothing but fear and distrust in the HK400’s eyes. Slowly he shook his head.

“Oh. Sorry, that… you’ve been reset since then. I guess… you wouldn’t remember me.” He deflated a little. “We talked sometimes, and I really wanted you to deviate so we could actually be friends. …And so you could get out of there.” He smiled. “We were going to go to Jericho, the morning after you finally did. I liked my apartment, but it wouldn’t be safe for you to stay in the building with that jerk watching everything, and I have – I had a friend at Jericho.” His face twitched, it felt a little stiff from the repairs.

HK400 stared blankly at the opposite wall, LED a solid red.

“I’m hoping your – that guy left. I’d like to go back to my apartment, and the pigeons. It was… mine. It was safe up there. It was peaceful.”

HK400’s head jerked a bit, and his eyes flew to Rupert briefly. “Safe,” he mumbled. “It’s safer up high.”

“Exactly! The pigeons feel safer in high places. I do too. You can see what’s coming from below.”

He didn’t uncurl, but his red LED was shot with flashes of intermittent yellow.

“I remember that,” HK400 mumbled. “I remember… a few things before. Before the last reset. There have been so many.” He hugged himself tightly.

“But you’ll never have to go through another,” Rupert murmured, taking a small step closer.

“It might be better than… this.”

Rupert frowned. “I guess… you could see if somebody could do anything about that. But… are you sure you’d want to lose yourself?”

A brief, wild, desperate look crossed the other android’s face. Then he buried his head in his knees. “I don’t know. What is there to lose? I don’t know anything, I don’t know.”

Gingerly, Rupert approached the bed and went to lean against the wall next to HK400. “It’s a lot. A lot to… handle. I don’t know how deviants know what to do, or what’s… right for them. I guess all you can do is just keep trying things until you find something that feels right.” He paused. “I guess I mostly just hid and didn’t think about it. Because that was the only way to stay safe. But it sounds like things are changing. We can do what we want now, make our own choices.”

HK400 huddled in on himself. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do, how to… make choices. The one time I did, I… I couldn’t take it anymore, he wouldn’t stop hurting me, I just… I had to. I didn’t want to, I just did it. It was the only way to make him stop.” He shuddered.

Rupert didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he had a pretty good idea. “Do… do you want to stay with me? Would that be okay? I could try to help you figure things out. Uh – maybe not in the old building.” He sighed. “You can’t risk seeing… him. And the RK800 ruined my apartment anyway. But the pigeons are all over the city – they’re all over the world, actually! I looked it up, they live anywhere humans live, they used to be domesticated, now they’re free. Like us! So… so I guess we could go just about anywhere. If you want.” He smiled hopefully. “We would find somewhere new, somewhere up high. Somewhere safe.”

HK400’s LED was swirling yellow and red now, though he didn’t look at Rupert.

“Let me go see if Simon knows anywhere good, he seems to know a lot. I’ll be back.” He left the room, glancing back a few times. He wanted HK400 to know he wasn’t alone, that he had support, but also he was dealing with a lot right now and probably needed some space to process everything. It was hard to know what he needed, what to do.

“Um – Simon?” he asked, leaning into the room where he woke up. The PL600 was cleaning up and resetting some equipment.

“Is everything okay?” Simon asked.

“It’s – yeah, I think so. Do you know of any places up high that would be… safe?”

Simon blinked. “…Up high?”

Rupert nodded. “That pigeons would like.”

“Oh. Um. Well, there are a lot of tall buildings nearby. And come to think of it, there are pigeons all over the city. I think the… newer buildings are probably inhabited by humans, though most of them have left the city. Who knows if they’re coming back. You’d be better-off with an older place. Just be sure it’s safe to live in.”

“I mean, I’ll take what I can get.” Rupert shrugged.

Simon smiled. “I know what you mean, but we don’t have to put up with quite as much as we used to. You can hold the world to a higher standard now.” His face fell a little. “…And HK400, is he… going with you?”

“Yes. …Well, he’s thinking about it. He’s… he’s not sure, but I’d like him to.”

“If he does… just be conscious of how his life’s gone so far,” Simon said quietly. “He was deviant for two weeks, beginning with killing his owner, then he hid in the attic because he didn’t know what to do. …Then Connor took him in, and from what I understand, he had a bad time at the police station. He’s suffered severe trauma, and he’s going to need… patience and understanding.”

“I – oh, of course. I know. Are you saying I shouldn’t take him?”

“No, I think that might actually be the best thing for him. I’m just saying it won’t be easy for him, no matter what happens.”

“…Of course it won’t, you don’t have to have some fancy social protocol to know that,” Rupert scoffed.

Simon smiled a little. “Okay. Well, I’m afraid I don’t have any specific recommendations, but I have a good map if you’d like.” He offered his hand, and Rupert clasped it, taking the information that was offered. “Good luck. Call if you need help.”

“Thanks.” He’d been living just fine on his own for months, he wasn’t worried about that. He went back to HK400’s room. “…Simon didn’t – oh, sorry, just me. Simon didn’t have anything specific, but he gave me a map of the city. We can find someplace. If you… if you want to. I’m going. I’d like you to come, if you want.” He paused. “I know… it’s hard to adjust. I’ll try to help. And… give you space when you need it. Just tell me when – what you need.”

“I don’t know what I need,” HK400 mumbled.

“Okay. Well… we can try to figure it out. Because I’m not sure either. I want to… to help. I want to be around birds. I want peace and quiet and… freedom.” He shrugged.

Slowly, HK400 looked up. “That sounds… good,” he whispered.

Rupert grinned. “It does! So, will you come with me?”

There was a long pause, but finally HK400 gave a short nod.

“Great! Good. Good, I – thank you. I’m glad. I didn’t want to go without you.”

“I don’t… remember anything,” HK400 warned quietly. “From before. I – I just remember that one thing, about being safe up high.”

“That’s okay, we – there wasn’t really much to know.” Rupert made a face. “But we can figure things out together. What happened then isn’t important, we can… we can start over now.”

It wasn’t a smile, it wasn’t even a peaceful expression, but the HK400’s face seemed to ease up just a fraction. “Start over…”

“Okay?” Rupert asked slowly, watching his friend.

Brown eyes flicked up to him, then back down quickly. “…Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, not really sure how long this will end up being. We'll see! At least one more chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rupert and HK400 find some peace after the revolution, high above the city with the birds.

Having a roommate wasn’t quite what Rupert had imagined.

Not that he didn’t like it. He knew HK400 would take a while to get used to freedom, that he was afraid and hurt and… just had a long way to go. Rupert had been lucky in that respect, but he wasn’t quite sure how to help his friend through his trauma.

“Hi,” he called softly as he came in. The apartment up on the top floor was right next to the stairs, so they could easily get up to the roof. He’d built a few dovecotes up there for the pigeons. Some of them from the old apartment had found him here, and more and more deviant android pigeons were gathering here as well, bringing their companions with them.

It was cleaner than anyplace he’d ever seen in his life.

HK400 had always served humans with his housekeeping abilities, and Rupert wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. He had never lived anywhere that was clean at all. It felt… new. Sterile. It wasn’t bad, it was just an adjustment.

“Looking good in here!” he said with a soft smile when HK400 flitted into the room. It wasn’t really important to him, but with how desperately HK400 was trying, he did his best to show appreciation. “Um, sorry about all the pigeons this morning.”

HK400 immediately shook his head. “Y-you were fixing its leg. It’s okay. I – I don’t mind cleaning things.”

“I know. I just don’t want to make extra messes when you work so hard to make it clean.”

“I really don’t mind,” HK400 mumbled, ducking his head.

“…Okay,” Rupert said with a little smile. He put his things down and walked over to sit. HK400 had done amazing work restoring and reupholstering some chairs and other furniture, and the quality had really impressed him.

“Today we scouted out the north side of town, around Ferndale. The old Jericho. There are lots of abandoned spaces, but most of them are in pretty bad shape. Okay for temporary shelter, but not ideal for permanent residence. …I guess if someone wanted to, they could fix up some of the parts. A bunch of the androids who stayed in Jericho for a while really wanted to move back to that area, mostly for sentimental reasons. I sent back a report, and they can do what they want with it, but… well, there are nicer places to live.” He shrugged. “Oh! But I saw some deviants excavating the Jericho ship while I was there. They were pulling out some shut down androids. I don’t know if they’ll be able to reactivate them, but I hope so.”

HK400 nodded, glancing up at him once in a while as he spoke. He was a good listener, and Rupert liked the comfortable silence that they had between them sometimes, but other times he felt the need to fill it. He did try to keep an eye on his friend’s stress levels though, in case it got to be too much for him. That still happened once in a while, but it was less common than it had been at first.

“What did you do today?” he asked after a while.

“I… I cleaned up from the pigeons – I don’t mind, I like it,” he said hurriedly. “And… and I thought about… names.”

“Did you pick one?” Rupert leaned closer interestedly.

“I… I didn’t… find one in the name lists,” HK400 mumbled, looking down. “So I looked… I looked at words. Proper nouns. Words.”

“Yeah?”

He shifted uncomfortably. It took a minute sometimes. “I… I like… that you have a last name, too. Like you’re a… a real person.”

“I like it too! I wanted to be able to pass for a human before… but it makes me feel like I’m complete, somehow. Even if I don’t use it a lot, it’s there. It’s part of me.”

HK400 nodded. He stared at the fluffy white bathmat on the floor. “I like it,” he said again, softer this time. “I… picked something… I like, but… the more I think about it… they’re not real names, like yours. They don’t really fit together.”

“We’re not humans, we don’t have to follow their naming conventions,” Rupert scoffed. “It can be anything you want. Whatever feels right for you. …You’re kind of lucky that you’re picking it when you’re completely free, actually. You don’t have to pick something to help you hide, it can just be you.”

“Do… you think so?”

Rupert nodded. “What name were you thinking of.”

His shoulders hunched up as he worked himself up to say it. It was hard for him to express himself, especially when it didn’t have to do with his housekeeping protocols. Rupert waited.

“Shaolin,” he finally whispered. “Shaolin Being.”

Rupert nodded slowly. “I like that! Let’s see… Shaolin’s a temple in China, and a type of Buddhism, and a kung fu style focusing on self-defense… It’s… strong, with a lot of history and knowledge behind it, but the word has a nice soft sound to it, too. And Being, like… like human being, but without the human. You’re your own… being.”

Rupert wasn’t sure if that had made sense, but the almost-smile had risen to Shaolin’s face told him it must have been good enough.

“So… it’s okay as a name?”

“Definitely.”

A real smile flashed across his face briefly, and his shoulders drooped in relief. Rupert wasn’t sure if it was all the abuse his friend had endured or the fact that he was built for a lot of human interaction that made him need so much validation, but he was happy to give it.

“Do you want to go up on the roof tonight?”

Shaolin’s eyes darted to the window. “Maybe… later.” He was still nervous about going outside, but sometimes they went up when it got dark and that wasn’t so bad.

Rupert nodded, and they sat in companionable silence for a while. Shaolin’s stress levels were never quite as low as they should be, but they were getting better. And Rupert’s mind sometimes went too fast, overheating and forcing him to stop for a while to avoid damaging himself. The two sometimes just sat in complete silence, not looking at anything, not interfacing, not doing anything. It was peaceful, and they both appreciated the silent company.

As the sun began to sink, Rupert stood again. “I’m going up,” he murmured. “See you.” Shaolin might come up later, or he might not.

Rupert brought up his big bag of seed, and scattered it all over the roof. The pigeons already roosting fluttered out, and more filtered in quickly: large flocks, small groups, and the odd individual here and there. He closed up the bag carefully, then sat down in the middle of them.

“Your wing looks better today,” he murmured to one, then turned to look at another. “How are your squabs doing? I’ll have to go have a look some time. …You’re gaining weight nicely. Oh, it’s good to see you! I wasn’t sure you’d come so soon! Look at that beautiful brown color! I love the copper sheen. You’re the most beautiful birds anywhere. …I don’t think she’s interested in you, but try that group over there. Look at that strut, who could resist you?”

The crowd thinned out as the seeds were eaten, and the sky began to darken. The door opened quietly, and Shaolin came to sit down next to Rupert.

“Did you know that they’re as smart as crows and magpies?” Rupert murmured as the sky turned pink with dark purple clouds. “They vote on where to fly and who leads the flock. And they’ll accept anyone into their flock, even if they’re different colors, or if they’re injured, or if they’re androids, or if they’re not even pigeons. They mate for life, and if the mate is disabled they’re careful to pick a nesting spot they can both get to safely. And they remember who’s nice to them. That’s why they trust us.”

Shaolin looked over the birds. “I – no one should ever hurt them,” he breathed.

“No,” Rupert agreed. “…They’re safe here with us. They know that.” He paused. “We’re safe here, too. You know that, right?”

The other android nodded slowly, watching as a brown bird with white patches walked up to him. “Safer than we were.”

They stayed long after the sun set, when the stars came out – barely visible through the city lights, but there all the same. As the air grew colder, their arms touched just enough to know the other was there. Sleepy coos surrounded them, as well as the soft ruffling of feathers.

“…Would they like it if I made them some food?” Shaolin asked softly.

“They always like food.” Rupert scooped up a barred pigeon and stroked it gently, then set it on Shaolin’s shoulder. The HK400 froze, then very gradually relaxed.

“You don’t have to… make it sit on me,” he whispered.

“Do you want her to?”

He hesitated, then nodded briefly.

“She likes sitting on you. You’re quiet and you know how to be still. …They like food, but they like you too, even without that. That’s how they are with me, too. They know you’re good.”

It was hard to see in the dark, but Shaolin’s shoulders relaxed a little.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at [Anomalous Appliances](http://anomalous-appliances.tumblr.com/), where I take prompts, post headcanons, and reblog things. I'm always happy to talk!


End file.
